The LEARN Foundation aims to transform rural 'ecosystems' with wireless broadband through a holistic approach: engaging rural communities, through knowledge diffusion in schools, building Wi-FI access networks in joint collaboration with rural students, traders, farmers and other groups who want and need information access. The LEARN Foundation engages in activities to help train rural people, as well as develop technology access, such as community technology centres. Specific programmes include the following.
- Unlimited Potential - Under its worldwide Unlimited Potential Program, Microsoft partnered with the LEARN Foundation to convert five existing rural telephone shops and three LEARN training facilities into Community Technology Learning Centres to strengthen information and communication technology (ICT) training capacities and provide full internet connectivity. The focus of the programme is on enabling access to skills training and ICTs for the empowerment of underserved village communities and on opening up employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth. The programme aims to impart technology training ranging from basic computer literacy skills to use of advanced business productivity applications.
- Tree Education Endowment funds (TEEF) - The LEARN Foundation aims to improve the country's environment and create long term capital through financial adoption of trees planted on vacant land surrounding the tea gardens and other areas in Sylhet and Chittagong regions. As a result of deforestation in Bangladesh, high quality timber is a valued item. These trees are offered for adoption and investment to potential LEARN partners. Each tree is valued at USD$ 15 and 35 are allocated to cover educational expense of each rural child.
- Smart Villages - LEARN Foundation is designing and implementing an organically scalable business model with WLAN and Wi-Fi radios over information and communication needs of remote rural communities in Sunamganj, northeast of Bangladesh. The project aims to be a financially viable broadband wireless network model to be erected in zero infrastructures when it is needed, where it is needed without any prior telecom systems being present. It is driven by rural information needs of farmers, fishermen, small traders, shopkeepers, schools, students and to be sustained by businesses these rural communities are engaged in, can understand, adapt and own - along with local businesses and ICT players who deliver the technology and training to these underserved communities. The services are expanded through rural grid-franchise by small traders, community grassroots leaders and groups of ICT trained rural unemployed youths in order to provide subscriber services, and to be operable and partly owned by ICT trained rural students.
- The BEAM programme - provides wireless connectivity to rural parents and communities in exchange of academic achievement of children in the target cluster. A package is provided that includes setting up WBB access to the homes of top students who attain level 2- total of 5 students. Depending on the socio-economic background of the student various deployment and income sharing plans can be formulated with the guardians. The community signs an agreement with LEARN that the children would attain academic standards set by LEARN and attend community lecture sessions.
The LEARN Foundation strategy also includes expanding skills and networks through replication and encouraging community trainers.
